<Click Picture To Download Individual Tracks>
It’s the end of the year.
So, kind of a time for reflection on the year past, as well as a celebration of it’s ending and the new year to come.
I lost some important people from my life this year. Nothing so dramatic as deaths, but just… Movings apart. It served as a reminder of how rare those that unflinchingly support all the little crazy things that I do, those core that are still my close friends after all these years, and how treasured they are by me.
So when I was approaching this mix, those that I invited to be a part of this year end mix are the colleagues on both the blog side, and artist side that have become more than just another voice, but one I am happy to claim a little more than a passing kinship with. If I could throw an online christmas party, they would be the first to receive invites… But since I can’t, this is it.
As with We Get By Vol 1, I asked each person involved to submit their favorite (downloadable) song of the year, and, if they felt so inclined, a top ten as well. Hearing what excited them about the year this way was a pleasure for me, and I hope it will be for you all as well.
Below are the individual song selections by blog, a blurb about it, and a top list of their choice. If you don’t already follow these blogs, treat yourself, I swear by each of them. And if you haven’t already checked out the artists, do so post-haste.
Nathaniel from Think Or Smile also came through again with another beautiful collage for the artwork. He’s brilliant and if all comes to pass, soon my wall will soon be adorned with various pieces of his art.
May your holidays be perfect, and perhaps brightened a bit by this parting gift from us, as we wish goodbye to this year, and look forward to the next.
We Get By… With A Little Help
Volume 2
Years End 2010
1. The Radio Dept “Heaven’s On Fire” Selected By No Modest Bear
2010 was the year when The Radio Dept. finally got the worldly recognition they deserve. Their already awesome catalogue got extended with a perfect album, an incredibly moving song in conjunction with the Swedish election, and a simply great EP - and it all started back in January with an unforgettable intro starring Thurston Moore talking about youth culture and big business.
In an interview with Mecca Lecca, frontman Johan Duncanson tells us:
“We agree with Thurston Moore when he says that we should destroy the bogus capitalist process that is destroying youth culture. However, since we’re extremely lazy people we leave the destruction to others and play pop music instead.”
I am forever thankful for that, Johan
1. The Radio Dept. - Clinging to a Scheme
2. Games - That We Can Play EP
3. Clive Tanaka y su orquesta - Jet Set Siempre 1
4. Star Slinger - Volume 1
5. Museum of Bellas Artes - Days Ahead EP
6. Chad Valley - Chad Valley EP
7. Shine 2009 - Associates EP
8. Delorean - Subiza
9. Memoryhouse - The Years EP
10. Selebrities - Ladies Man Effect EP
11. Blackbird Blackbird - Summer Heart
12. Blue Hawaii - Blooming Summer
13. Com Truise - Cyanide Sisters EP
14. Teengirl Fantasy - 7AM
15. Toro y Moi - Causers of This
2. Ice Cream Shout “Tattooed Tears” Selected By Stadiums And Shrines
“Tattooed Tears” first ran me over (like it did most others) with its music video and self-setup: “a dreamy pop song about Morrissey and Latino gangsters”. A concept so well ingrained that the infectious nature of this song in and of itself may have initially been taken lightly. But that melody still circles the racetrack of my mind, leaving trails of serotonin, demanding more and more victory laps, now six months later. Its vocal bounce and heavy bass still tap that bittersweet memory bank like all good Smiths tunes tend to do. And its humbled origins remain just as poignant and endearing. Four kids in Japan wrote one of the year’s finest.
~ Dave Of Stadiums And Shrines
15. Active Child - Curtis Lane EP
14. Clive Tanaka y su orquesta – Jet Set Siempre 1°
13. RxRy – Ω
12. Gem Club - Acid and Everything EP
11. Foxes in Fiction – Swung From The Branches
10. Mark McGuire – Living With Yourself
09. Coma Cinema – Stoned Alone
08. Twin Sister - Color Your Life EP
07. Toro Y Moi – Causers of This
06. Julian Lynch – Mare
05. Candy Claws – Hidden Lands
04. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
03. Baths – Cerulean
02. Future Islands – In Evening Air
01. Beach House – Teen Dream
3. Craft Spells “Party Talk” Selected By Head Underwater
With a bouncing beat, a simple guitar riff and vocals like your reflection on a pond on a windy day Craft Spells has given us a great tune. This will help you get up and moving on your day at no matter what point that is.
4. Soft Cat “Silver Babies Sun” Selected By Michael Of Holy Spirits
“I first heard Soft Cat through the excellent Ecliptic Odious One compilation put out by late and great Delicious Scopitone. The entire compilation is wondrous, featuring many bands I now consider standards, some even blowing up to become leading bands in 2010. And even with such incredble music being offered, Silver Babies Sun was a stand-out track, an unexpected folky malaise that throughout its almost six minute duration, kept me hushed. It’s the type of song you look for when going through some emitional upheaval or event, not to languish, but to be briefly uplifted by a kindered or empathetic spirit that offers companionship during an otherwise lonely experience.”
5. Young Montana? “Sacre Cool” Selected By Dead As Digital
2010 was an amazing year. I started Dead As Digital in January having finally moved on from actually making and playing music, but wanting to stay as connected to it as possible.
It did that and so much more.
Once I started getting submissions, my world opened up to include types of music I really hadn’t spent much time with before. Electronic music had always been something to the side of what I was interested in, but not something that I actively sought out. With the discovery of artists like Star Slinger, James Blake, Gold Panda, and Young Montana?, that very much changed.
While this spot could easily be occupied by Star Slinger’s “May I Walk With You”, Gold Panda’s “You”, or James Blake’s “CMYK”, it’s Young Montana?’s “Sacre Cool” that has opened my eyes every morning since I got it as the first song I pop on in the morning.
It starts my day with just the right amount of swagger, and pop. It’s just too… Damn… Cool.
6. Stephen Farris “Alphabet Soup” Selected By Think Or Smile
It doesn’t matter what I’m doing or what mood I’m in, this song makes me move. and that makes me happy.
Top 15 Artists:
Star Slinger
Stephen Farris (+ Cosmic Sound alias)
WALSH (aka Brandon Biondo)
Yellow Ostrich
Holy Spirits - feel a little biased on this one but I still love it.
Com Truise
PEPEPIANO
Gold Panda
Shigeto
Mux Mool
Javelin
Baths
Mutual Benefit
The Stuyvesants
Space Ghost
7. Chrome Sparks “I’ll Be Wait For Sadness Comes Along” Selected By Smoke Don’t Smoke
This song is one of those songs that hooked me the first time I listened to it. It envelopes you with it’s warmth, just in time to grab you as the beat staggers, skips…then drops. This song was one that made it’s way into my psyche and demanded constant repetition. Those kinds of songs are few and far between. Jeremy Malvin is the Michigan bro behind Chrome Sparks, and he’s promised a forthcoming EP which I’m really excited to add to my repertoire.
- Baths - Cerulean
- Blackbird Blackbird - Summer Heart
- Toro Y Moi - Causers of This
- Coma Cinema - Stoned Alone
- Teen Daze - Four More Years
- Holy Spirits - The Afternoon’s Blood
- Foxes In Fiction - Swung From the Branches
- Mutual Benefit - Spider Heaven
- Clive Tanaka y su orquesta - Jet Set Siempre 1º
- Lord Huron - Mighty EP
- Yellow Ostrich - The Mistress
- Active Child - Curtis Lane EP
- Sean Nicholas Savage - Mutual Feelings of Respect and Admiration
- Kisses - The Heart of the Nightlife
- Blue Hawaii - Blooming Summer
8. How To Dress Well “Endless Rain” Selected By Ears Of The Beholder
How To Dress Well was a big part of my 2010. Mostly because I spent a lot of time trying to wrap my head around this very unique, minimalist sound. After months of poking around on HTDW’s Soundcloud and blog, I was thrilled to hear the full length, Love Remains. Among this collection of ethereal, lo-fi R&B stood out “Endless Rain” which slowly builds up as an acapella before it lets loose the hardest beat on the album. What’s unique about the hip-hoppy beat is that it drops in bursts around Tom Krell’s vocals - efficiently emphasizing each line of lyric and briefly pausing in between. I’ll remember this song from 2010 because it caught me off guard and made me work to understand and appreciate it.
~ Peter of Ears Of The Beholder
Top 15 EPs:
1. Twin Sister - Color Your Life
2. Com Truise - Cyanide Sisters
3. Wild Nothing - Golden Haze
4. Teen Daze - Four More Years
5. Games - That We Play
6. Coolrunnings - Babes Forever
7. Memoryhouse - The Years
8. Evenings - North Dorm
9. DOM - Sun Bronzed Greek Gods
10. Kiss Kiss Fantastic - The Red/Blue Shift
11. Tanlines - Settings
12. We Are Trees - Boyfriend
13. Blackbird Blackbird - Happy High
14. Millionyoung - Sunndreamm
15. Exray’s - Ammunition Teeth
9. Kiss Kiss Fantastic “Dancing And Disintegrating” Selected By No Fear Of Pop
This song is like life.
Like balloons and dancing and laughing and crying and dreaming of your childhood and dreaming of the things that still lie ahead of you. While it lasts, and you listen closely to this sweetest of all melodies, you feel happiness and pain at once, that kind of sadness that makes you smile because you realize you are alive.
But after not even two minutes, all of a sudden it ends, painfully quick and way too soon.
So, press play again, start all over. After all, this is just a song.
10. Dead Ghosts “How The West Was Fun” Selected By Rollo & Grady
Vancouver’s Dead Ghosts remind me of Black Lips circa 2003. The band stands out in the crowded garage rock space by infusing just the right amount of country twang into their music. “How The West Was Fun” is a Rock ‘n’ Roll hoedown about best friends, getting fucked up, and fishing. I love that the first few chords of the song are similar to the ones used by Johnny Cash on “Cocaine Blues”. The band recently released a full-length album on Florida’s Dying label <http://www.floridasdying.com/> . They are definitely worth checking out.
Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
Atlas Sound – Databank Sessions – Vol. 1-4
Paul Carey – Ghost Of A Man
Broken Bells – S/T
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – I Learned The Hard Way
Lower Dens – Twin-Hand Movement
The Black Keys – Brothers
The National – High Violet
Harlem – Hippies
Phosphorescent – Here’s To Taking It Easy
Calibro 35 – Ritornano Quelli Di…
White Denim – Last Day Of Summer
Demon’s Claws – The Defrosting of Walt Disney
The Budos Band - III
Wild Nothing - Gemini
11. Big Troubles “Freudian Slips” Selected By Weed
Probably the only thing I loved about living in New York last year was getting to see Big Troubles on a regular basis. I’ll never forget the first time I saw them—the first time I ever went to Shea Stadium. They just crushed me so hard that night, and they made being in a band look so effortless and badass (again). I don’t know if Alex and Ian coordinate their moves. Probably not. Seems like they’re just kind of aware of the best parts of their songs, and know why to drop their heads towards their guitars at the same time because they just lead chilled-out lifestyles. Anyway the record finally came out in August and it’s great. To put it in perspective I listened to this song more this year than I did to “Everlong” in 7th grade.
2010 Fav Records:
1. Marnie Stern - Marnie Stern LP
(http://www.myspace.com/marniestern1)
2. Big Troubles - Worry LP
(http://www.myspace.com/inbigtroubles)
3. Cloud Nothings - Leave You Forever EP
(http://www.myspace.com/cloudnothings)
4. Makeout Videotape - Eating Like A Kid EP
(http://www.myspace.com/makeoutvideotape)
5. Sun Araw - On Patrol LP
(http://sunaraw.com)
6. Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday LP
(http://www.myspace.com/brattleborohousecartoon)
7. Mark McGuire - Living With Yourself
(http://mcguiremusic.blogspot.com/)
8. Ducktails - Mirror Image 7”
(http://www.alexphelan.com/ducktails/)
9. Julian Lynch - Mare LP
(http://julianlynch.bandcamp.com/)
10. Coma Cinema - Blue Suicide LP
(http://comacinema.org/)
12. Coma Cinema “Her Sinking Sun” Selected By Ghost Animal
I had a lot of trouble deciding which song to pick for this. While I don’t think the year was particularly strong in releases (2011 already seems much more promising, with buddies Craft Spells’s first LP and Coma Cinema’s Blue Suicide), there have been some absolutely phenomenal and gorgeous songs put out in the last twelve months.
Among them, one stands out: Coma Cinema’s “Her Sinking Sun” which will be on his forthcoming (and, unfortunately, 2011 release, so I can’t include it in my top albums of 2010!) release Blue Suicide. I really don’t know what to say about this song other than it’s probably the most beautiful song I’ve heard all year. Beautiful, morose, slightly haunting, with wordless backups and an octave-apart melody line and the least possible instrumentation, Mat Cothran is truly a master of making something out of nearly nothing.
And then there are the lyrics: there’s always something sad but sinister about Mat’s lyrics that I can’t quite put my finger on: he’s sarcastic and sincere at the same time, lonely but laughing. “Torn apart from everyone, her sinking sun, I watch it die.” There’s always something just off screen in Mat’s songs, some secret no one knows about even though he seems to lay bare everything and anything. I’ve been listening to Coma Cinema since before Stoned Alone came out, and Mat has grown so astoundingly as an artist and a songwriter that I am simply incapable of describing it. “Her Sinking Sun” (along with other gorgeous Blue Suicide cut standout “Eva Angelina”, which would have been my selection but it isn’t available for download anywhere) is without a doubt not only Cothran’s most gorgeous, beautiful, and affecting song to date, but also perhaps one of the best we’ve seen this year. I also have to mention, because it inspired me and lead to meeting one of the best friends I’ve made, Craft Spells’s digital single, “The Fog Rose High” & “You Should Close the Door.” Marisa and I have gotten very close with the Crafties, as we call them, in the last few months, especially Justin. These two songs are without a doubt the two best pop songs of the year, and I can’t wait for their debut Idle Labor to drop next year. It’s going to fucking slay.
top 15 albums/eps
1. Beach Fossils - S/T
2. Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts
3. Wavves - King of the Beach
4. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
5. Dum Dum Girls - I Will Be
6. Active Child - Curtis Lane EP
7. The National - High Violet
8. Zola Jesus - Stridulum EP
9. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast
10. Wild Nothing - Golden Haze EP
11. Beach House - Teen Dream
12. Baths - Cerulean
13. Coma Cinema - Stoned Alone
14. Cloud Nothings - Turning On
15. Harlem - Hippies
From All Of Us, With Love, To You.
Fin.
